Icelandic Fin Whale Hunt Resumes, Stirs Debate

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Icelandic whalers angered environmentalists around the world this
month by resuming their hunt for the endangered fin whale — the
second largest marine mammal after the blue whale. But the hunt
may not threaten the population as terribly as some fear.

Two of the 184
fin whales permitted by this summer's quota have hit port so
far last week, according to the Icelandic Directorate of
Fisheries. For many whale conservationists, that's two too many
for a species that the International Union for the Conservation
of Nature listed as endangered in 2010. The Natural Resources
Defense Council has drafted a public petition urging the U.S.
government to impose economic sanctions on Iceland in response to
the hunt, and groups around the world have taken similar action.
An online petition addressed to the Dutch government has gathered
more than 1 million signatures this month.

But Gisli Vikingsson, head whale researcher with Iceland's Marine
Research Institute, argues the endangered species listing is
misleading, and that this summer's hunt will not seriously
threaten the mammal's vitality. Whereas the Southern Hemisphere
fin whale population — which once constituted 80 percent of the
world's population — suffered greatly from 20th-century
commercial whaling and has failed to rebound, the North
Atlantic population has grown in recent decades. [ Images
of Whales: Giants of the Deep ]

"There are several fin whale populations in the world, although
it is all called one species," Vikingsson told LiveScience. "The
sole reason for the poor status of this species is the Southern
Hemisphere."

Vikingsson estimates the central North Atlantic population could
be as high as 25,000 individuals, based on a survey conducted in
2007. Given this population size, Vikingsson does not believe
this summer's quota of up to 184 individuals will threaten the
North Atlantic stock.

"We have firm grounds to believe that there is an abundance, even
using a precautionary approach," Vikingsson said.

Iceland has defied the wishes of
whale conservationists since 1986, when the government
refused to abide by the International Whaling Commission's global
moratorium on whaling. They did instate a ban on commercial
whaling from 1989 through 2006, but continued hunting for
research purposes.

"Icelanders, we live from the resources of the sea," said Asta
Einarsdottir, senior legal expert with the Icelandic Ministry of
Fisheries. "So [whaling] is really part of our culture and
tradition and our well-being."

The majority of the fin whales caught are destined for Japan,
where the market has strengthened since the
2011 Fukushima disaster. In fact, fin whale hunting was
cancelled in 2011 and 2012, primarily due to the economic
downturn in Japan after Fukushima,
The Guardian reports.

"This is done with much precaution, so we would never take the
last whale," Einarsdottir told LiveScience. "It is of utmost
importance to us."

Even so, many others consider whale hunting a gruesome industry.
"Much of the whale meat within Iceland is eaten by curious
tourists rather than locals. Tourists mistakenly believe that
whale meat is just another 'traditional' Icelandic dish but
instead, are helping to keep this cruel industry alive,"
according to a statement this month by the Whale and Dolphin
Conservation (WDC).

The U.S. government also opposes commercial whaling. "We urge
Iceland to honor the ban on commercial whaling and the
international trade of whale meat," said Ryan Wulff, U.S.
commissioner to the International Whaling Commission, according
to the communications officer with the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration. "Iceland has developed a vibrant
whale watching industry and is becoming quite an ecotourism
destination, so it would be unfortunate if the decision to resume
fin whaling had a detrimental effect on that momentum."